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September 11, 2003

gangstories

One of my students alerted me to an incredibly fascinating blog, gangstories, which presents brief narratives describing life in a ghetto. The narratives are all fictionalized accounts based on the author's experiences as a youth. According to his biography, the author has left that life and is now a college educated professional. The blog is designed to demystify some of the myths associated with urban experience:

The goal here is to tell some stories of what goes on behind the guns, drugs and crime in the headlines. This is the oral history of my old neighborhood. Figured it might do some good to write it.
It's an interesting framing narrative in that the author includes a legal disclaimer asserting that the events and characters he presents are fictional. As with many anonymous blogs, one immediate reaction is to question its validity, but there's something incredibly powerful in these brief narratives with their direct description and the sense of immediacy that the medium itself reinforces. In many ways, they remind me of Tim O'Brien's short story collection about the Vietnam War, The Things They Carried, with the brief, fragmentary references to the characters the author describes. Particularly compelling is "Cruel and Unusual Punishment," a discussion of how easily someone can become complicit in an act of violence.

Update: That should be "Cruel and Usual Punishment," the sly play on language slipped past my somewhat sleepy eyes.

Posted by chuck at September 11, 2003 10:28 PM

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Comments

Prof. Tryon,

Thanks for the kind words. There's some mix of truth and fiction in every story. I'm sure you can appreciate why these are done anonymously.

One thing: the title of the entry you refer to is actually "Cruel and USUAL Punishment" -- which has the dual benefit of avoiding a cliche and capturing how commonly this sort of senseless violence took place.

Cheers!

Posted by: D at September 11, 2003 11:02 PM

Thanks (is that the right word?) for the recommended reading. I feel like I've just returned from a long dark journey.

Posted by: Elouise at September 11, 2003 11:37 PM

Thanks for the correction, D. I certainly understand the need for anonymity, and I look forward to learning more from your blog.

Posted by: chuck at September 12, 2003 12:17 AM

Gangstories was alright but the OxyTales are much deeper and well written. check them out http://oxytales.blogspot.com

Posted by: struggling writer at October 12, 2003 8:53 PM

Thanks for the link. Good luck with your writing.

Posted by: chuck at October 12, 2003 9:31 PM

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